Victoria Beckham Tells Sons Paps Snap Pictures Because They're 'Handsome'

Peter Lindbergh/Harper’s Bazaar

A self-proclaimed "girl’s girl," Victoria Beckham shares in the new issue of Harper’s Bazaar that she often dreams of, one day, adding a daughter to the family — a desire that grows even stronger as she envisions her wardrobe. "I walk into my closet and go, ‘Crikey!’" To one day hand that down to a little girl…" says Victoria, who denies any rumors that she is currently expecting, calling her belly "a little water retention; it’s not news." With no definite plans to add to the family in the immediate future, Victoria instead is concentrating on stopping the soccer balls flying past her head, as she laughs she is constantly assigned goalie duty by her husband, soccer star David Beckham, and their three boys Brooklyn Joseph, 9 ½, Romeo James, 6, and Cruz David, 3 ½.

"That’s what this bruise is. I’ve fallen down playing bloody soccer."

Although Victoria is thankful for a bit more privacy living in Los Angeles than the family had experienced in England, she has no qualms about the constant photographers, explaining she has "put myself in that position, and so has David." In fact, Victoria — who takes evening walks with her family around the neighborhood, saying, "it suits us to be boring" — admits that the public has yet to notice that her life as a mother and a wife is really quite uneventful and believes the "paparazzi would not be sitting outside if they realized I was the most boring person in Hollywood!" With a certain ease concerning her celebrity status, 34-year old Victoria has adopted a nonchalant attitude toward the press, as she is optimistic that her boys will, in turn, not be fazed by the constant swarm of paparazzi.

"I always say to the boys, someone is going to take your picture because you’re handsome or you’re smart or because you’re so good at soccer. But every now and again, Romeo might pick up one of David’s cameras and say, ‘Victoria, Victoria, over here!’ And his attitude is sort of angry."

Source: Harper’s Bazaar

Comments

I actually don’t think that’s the best explanation to give a child for the paparazzi. I remember hearing another celebrity who did that too- told her child that he was special and that’s why they were taking pictures. You don’t want the child to think that it is because of him- must make them think that they are cuter, better than other kids. Probably the better way to go is just to be honest and explain that the parent’s job is one that involves people taking pictures a lot of the parent.

- Valerie on December 8th, 2008

I remember Victoria once saying that for awhile her children thought that all moms were like Spice Girls and all dads were like soccer stars, so I think – and this is just me hazzarding a guess – that the kids might have been asking in a “why me, too?” capacity. If that’s the case, her explanation seems less problematic. I agree wholeheartedly that to make a child think that strangers snapping pictures is a little scary, but if my guess is correct (who knows?) then it seems less so.

- Jella on December 8th, 2008

I LOVE her so much with longer hair!

- dawn on December 8th, 2008

The story on how Romeo plays a pap is SO cute!

- Sandra on December 8th, 2008

I think Victoria has a great attitude about fame, very healthy. It is refreshing to actually hear a celebrity admit that she has put herself in the situation to be followed by photographers. Isn’t that just part of the job of being a public figure? We all have parts of our jobs that we don’t like. . . That’s life! Good for Victoria and David!

- Janis on December 8th, 2008

ITA with Valerie…I think telling the boys that the paps are taking their picture because they are so handsome or so smart, could lead to problems. I think the boys are probably capable of understanding that all the attention they get is because of their parents jobs.

- CTBmom on December 8th, 2008

I think Romeo’s story is kinda sad, I feel bad for celeb kids, aside from all the cool things they get to have because of parents’ money.
And I’m not passing any judgment on Victoria’s explanation whatsoever, because I have no freaking clue how are you supposed to explains paps to kids!
I even know a handful of grownups that don’t get the interest in celebrities’ lives and are baffled by constant presence of paps!

- Artemis on December 8th, 2008

I don’t think there’s a lot wrong with telling them that, if it helps them to make sense of the paparazzi then why not.

- Natasha on December 8th, 2008

I interpreted her statement more as there will always be people(paps) who want to photograph others for some reason or another, it’s just a fact of life that they have to deal with, than that “because the boys are handsome they are photographed”.

- Reba on December 8th, 2008

I agree with Reba

That´s what I understood when I read it.

- angie on December 8th, 2008

I don’t think there is anything wrong with that because the kids are going to have pictures taken of them every time they go out so they should think of it as a more positive thing. I also think everybody would do it differently then they claim if they were in that position too!

- Mary on December 8th, 2008

While I think Victoria is a lovely person and a great mother I cringe when I think that she would hope that she could pass all her wardrobe on to a daughter. I can only imagine the pressure that the girl would have to be Victoria’s size. She’s extremely slim, a lot more so than when she was originally with the Spice girls.

I’m not saying Victoria would directly put pressure on her but the “look at the hundreds of thousands of dollars in clothing that I inherited and don’t fit” mentality she might end up having.

- Lorus on December 8th, 2008

Oh wow, kids can be really perceptive, and Romeo is spot on with his imitation of the pap with that “angry command” to take pictures so maybe Victoria might want to re-think how she explains the reason for so many pictures being taken of them by strangers.

- DLR in Canada on December 8th, 2008

I have no issue with Victoria’s explanation to her boys because it probably keeps them from being scared of the paps if she’s painting them in a light that they just want to take their picture because they’re handsome boys, not to scare or hurt them.

- FlyByNight on December 8th, 2008